Mithran Somasundrum | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/profile/mithran-somasundrum
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Mithran Somasundrum: Shuffling towards fascism in Thailandhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/dec/03/thailand
Thailand has in a sense been colonised by its own middle class, many of whom live like colonial settlers<p>Thailand's main airport is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/03/bangkok-flights-resume">now re-opening</a>, having been blocked by the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy, or People Against Democracy, to put it more accurately), at an estimated cost of 1bn baht ($28m) a day to the Thai tourist industry. Airports are supposed to be high security areas, but not here, not if you have enough people, enough weapons and the right backing (which is the army and, to a greater or lesser extent, the conservative forces behind the army). Sunday's attempt to send in the police ended up with the cops getting beaten back and having their tyres slashed. </p><p>The police were largely resistant to using force, after their previous attempt to clear Government House with tear gas led to the death of a protester (highly explosive Chinese teargas canisters were to apparently to blame). Meanwhile, the Thai Chamber of Commerce suggested businesses refuse to pay their taxes until the government got the airport open. So the police were basically damned if they did and damned if they didn't.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/dec/03/thailand">Continue reading...</a>ThailandWorld newsAsia PacificWed, 03 Dec 2008 12:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/dec/03/thailandMithran Somasundrum2008-12-03T12:30:00Z